There’s a new popup in London that provides a much-needed alternative to shoppers who are concerned with the amount of garbage they generate.

Bulk Market, which is starting as a popup in Dalston, stocks more than 300 different items that taps into a series of consumer trends such as the desire to buy authentic products that do good to both the local community and the environment.

‘People can learn how the food is made and where, all the way from field to table, and ultimately, to the bin. This idea came from my own needs. I wanted to support the right businesses and be able to shop without creating any waste, but there wasn’t anything like that in London. I’ve decided to take the leap”, says Ingrid Caldironi, the founder.

Bulk Market is having a soft launch from 26th August until 25th October, when it will be hosted in a permanent location in Hackney. The permanent store will ‘harvest’ wasted materials to refurbish the space, meaning Bulk Market will consistently apply its USP of minimal waste generation across every touchpoint – from the environment in which the shopping experience takes place to the goods it is selling.

Bulk Market aims to provide everything needed to live a life as sustainable as possible – from dry goods to homemade pasta and DIY natural ingredients for beauty products. All whilst being completely free of use of plastic.Shoppers must bring their own containers to store, where they fill them up with the goods they want before paying for their products by weight.

Bulk Market applies the ‘5 Rs’ of sustainability to its business model – refuse, reduce, reuse, recycle, rot (compost) to make the most of the resources available; the principles of the so called ‘Circular Economy’.

Image by Pantone

The pop-up revolution was ignited by the collision of three things: our love for shopping, a wealth of local creativity, and cheap short-term leases due to the downturn on our high streets.

We saw a plethora of start-up ventures, poor in funds but rich in imagination, bringing their offers to the public fuelled by gut instinct and raw passion.

Soon the big brands jumped on the bandwagon creating a new channel to reach out to shoppers, while for many on-line retailers it has become a ‘must do’ to demonstrate brand personality in a more visceral way.

Image by Tiger Beer

Pop-ups are here to stay because by nature they are a perfect platform to start something from scratch, try something new, reframe your product offer while creating a more intimate conversation with shoppers. Like a kind of retail speed dating where if your offer is not right, you will soon know about it and quick.

However, from the original punk-like DIY mentality (and long may it live), there are some rules that have surfaced. Whether it’s a new or established brand, the savvy shopper quickly reframes their expectations and demands.

Our Top 5 Must Do’s

Be unique, innovative and unpredictable: All served up with as much passion as you have.

Ikea has launched a new pop-up restaurant in London’s Shoreditch where guests can prepare Scandinavian meals, under instructions of a chef, before sitting down to eat with up to 20 of their friends.

IKEA combats the death of eating together with first DIY restaurantThe activation is grounded on Ikea’s insight that nowadays fewer people spend time cooking and eating together, so the pop-up has been designed to provide an experience that goes beyond just eating out with friends, and re-creates the atmosphere of an actual dinner party.

The idea of having guests to actually cook their meals, instead of just eating, ensures the experience stays true to the DIY nature of the Ikea brand. Guests are also encouraged to broadcast their ‘dinner parties’ under the hashtags #MakeMoreThanJustFood and #TasteOfSweden.

An Ikea homeware shop has been set up in the restaurant to sell kitchen products, as well as an Ikea kitchen showroom featuring units, fixtures and fittings.

There’s also a ‘Food for Thought’ workshop section where master classes will be hosted by Great British Bake-Off winner Edd Kimber, and others covering topics such as Swedish baking and clean eating.

The Dining Club runs 10-25 September, and it’s entirely free. However, guests must book a slot – for brunch, lunch or dinner – in advance.

Tiger Beer celebrated its Asian origins by repurposing a dollar store in New York City’s Canal Street to display the best of ‘Made in Asia’ design.

The popup store, which featured over 800 items from great Asian artists such as Felix Tai, Douglas Young and Kelly Lim, was a huge success, and the long queues outside made it even more alluring to those passing in front of it.

“As the number one premium beer in Asia, we wanted to give New Yorkers an unexpected way to explore what Asian quality and creativity is all about. So we’ve invited them to explore and discover the best in contemporary Asia for themselves” says Mie-Leng Wong, global brand ambassador at Tiger Beer.

All items displayed were free, and all one had to do to get access to the store was showing up with a Tiger Beer coaster, available at a handful of local bars.

Pantone Café is back to Monaco this summer, inviting customers to ‘Taste the Color’ – meals and drinks are named after Pantone’s colour codes.

The café brings together food and design in the creation of a multi-sensory brand experience that envelops customers with the different scents, colours, textures and tastes of the drinks and food it serves.

Modern consumers are increasingly choosing to spend money on experiences.

Synaesthesia is an effective way of delivering these moments whilst establishing powerful connections that will continue to live in the mind of the consumer long after the experience is over.